DAGGERS TO THE HEART Part 1 - GAME OF THRONES

Jon X

They were getting closer to the Frostfangs when, late one evening, Ygritte pointed them toward a cave to spend the night; blissful relief from the icy wind which had engulfed them all day. The cave wasn't dissimilar to the one which led to their first coupling, minus hot springs in which to bathe.

Eventually, they had a fire burning. The orange flames warmed the dark cave, light bouncing from the walls, a cosy atmosphere settled in. Ghost provided them with another rabbit to cook, which Ygritte skilfully skinned and placed on their makeshift spit. Once the direwolf had deposited their meal, he stole off into the night, presumably to hunt for himself, Jon thought.

Their earlier conversation made Jon's position clear; nothing would ever happen between them. Ygritte took the hint, laying on the opposite side of the fire to sleep. He watched her fall asleep, her bright hair, kissed by fire, covering the ground. Did Jon want to couple with Ygritte? He'd enjoyed their time together, when he'd been a greenboy, now he was a man. He wanted more than a tumble in a cave, despite the romance of it. Jon could admit he'd loved Ygritte once, and she would always have a special place in his heart, but he had moved on, his heart lie elsewhere, although he wasn't sure who with, Daenerys or Sansa?

Jon thought about the three women in his life, comparing them to one another. The most obvious similarity between Ygritte and Sansa was the hair colour, kissed by fire, but the colour was where it stopped. Ygritte's hair was like a rats-nest, whereas Sansa's was soft and always perfectly groomed. She shared a passion for righteousness with Daenerys and a willingness to fight. Where once he'd found Ygritte's wild appearance and warrior-like attitude endearing, Jon found it lacking compared to the other two women. In their own ways, Sansa and Daenerys were warriors.

All three women carried a weapon which was dangerous, Ygritte a bow, Daenerys had dragons, and Sansa had her tongue, the deadliest of them all. Jon preferred the ladylike demeanour of Sansa and Daenerys, their hair always immaculate, they always smelled good. An unfortunate consequence of living in the wilderness was unpleasant body odour, from lack of bathing. In conclusion, he found it difficult to decide between Sansa and Daenerys as Ygritte became a distant memory of love. Unfortunately, Jon knew the same was happening with Daenerys. How he felt about Sansa, he'd yet to reconcile. Was he still her brother? Her cousin? Or could he become her lover? He was too tired to think. The dancing flames were making him drowsy, and sleep beckoned.

When he closed his eyes, he dreamt he was outside, running freely through the mountains on all fours. Despite the ice cold wind which blew, he wasn't cold; the breeze felt refreshing on his face. When he finally stopped, his white paws sunk deep into the moonlit snow, looking over the edge of a great precipice. The bright moon shone bright in the sky, lighting up the Skirling Pass in shades of black, white, and grey, cold, silent and empty. He spotted a vast river of ice several thousand feet high, falling down the cliff and into a what could only be a deep black lake.

Down in the valley, he saw fires, lots of fires. There were men in their thousands, a vast host. Jon knew it was Mance Rayder's camp. He'd seen it before. In typical Freefolk fashion, their encampment haphazard. Everywhere a variety of shelters and hide tents sprouted from the glistening snow. The animals missing from the villages were here, of that Jon could be certain of, for the smell of sheep, horse, dogs and pig shit filled his over-sensitive nostrils. The smell of smoke and cooking food rising from the masses of cookfires should have appealed to him, but he liked his meat raw and bloody.

The morning sun was rising in the east, turning the sky various shades of pinks and oranges. The icy lake was no longer black, but reflecting the colours cast from above. In the distance, Jon could see more shapes emerging from their slumber; mammoths and giants rose from the ground, waking in the morning sun.